Carbonates are common soil constituents in arid and semiarid areas and have significant impact on physical and chemical properties of soils among which are the adsorption and release of cations and anions and the soil reaction. Potassium and iron in clay minerals are an important source of potassium and iron for plants in many soils. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lime on potassium and iron release from phlogopite under laboratory and rhizospheric conditions. Under laboratory conditions, a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement using five levels of lime (0, 2, 5, 12, 25%) and eight time periods including 12 hours,1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64days was set up. Ammonium acetate solution (1N) and DTPA were used to extract potassium and iron from phlogopite, respectively. Then, the amount of released potassium and iron (soluble) from minerals were measured by flame photometry and atomic absorption spectrometry, respectively. The greenhouse experiment was run using a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement and three replications. The treatments included four types of nutrient (complete, iron free, potassium free, and iron and potassium free) and five levels of lime (0, 2, 5, 12, 25%). After 180 days, alfalfa shoot and root were harvested, and the amount of potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium was measured. The results of the laboratory experiment showed that the rate of potassium and iron release from phlogopite mineral depends on the amount of lime and time of contact with extractor. Treatments without lime release more potassium as compared to other treatments. Potassium release increased with time up to 32days and reached to plateau level after 64days. In all the time periods, the amount of released potassium was higher in lime free treatments as compared to that in carbonates containing treatments. Iron released from the beginning of the experiment followed an increasing trend and then reached to a constant value at the end of the experiment. The highest amount of iron released from phlogopite in lime free treatments. In general, the rate of iron and potassium release from phlogopite declined as the amount of lime increased. Results of greenhouse experiment showed that the presence of lime in the growth media caused a great reduction in dry shoot and root biomass. The presence of lime in the rhizosphere appears to increase the amount of available Ca which could, in turn, reduce the absorption of potassium and iron. Amount of ammonium acetate extractable potassium and DTPA extractable iron in rhizosphere decreased as the level of carbonates increased. The presence of lime in the rhizosphere of plants could reduce the release of nutrients from soil minerals, resulting in the reduction of plant yield. The presence of lime could change the balance of potassium to calcium level in growth medium. This imbalance may lead to the occupation of root surfaces by calcium interfering with the uptake of potassium. That is why the concentration of calcium in plant shoots increased in plants containing less. It seems that the high concentration of calcium in soil solution compete swith iron to interact with chelating ligands. This would reduce the availability of iron to plants. In general, the rate of K and Fe release from phlogopite is adversely influenced by the level of carbonates in medium. Keywords : Release of potassium and iron, lime, DTPA, Phlogopite